Doberman tapering Lexapro

[Doberman]

Hi, thanks for this forum and all the information here.

 

I've decided I want to do something different with my medication because I belive Lexapro is causing my reduced penis sensitivity and difficulty having an orgasm. I have been taking it for about 10 years and it has helped me enormously but I can no longer tolerate these side effects. I have an appointment with my doctor this week to discuss perhaps combining Wellbutrin with a lower dose of Lexapro to see if that works.

 

I decided about ten days ago to try tapering but I went too fast. I took 10 mg for years until about 3 years ago when I had a relapse of depression. The doctor bumped me up to 20mg and the symptoms resolved in about 4-6 weeks. I have been on that dose since, and things are going great in life now and I feel great except for the sexual side effects.

 

I thought maybe I could taper faster since I took 10mg for so long. I took 15mg for 3 days, then bumped down to 10. Well aparently this was a big mistake because about 4 days later I started getting headaches and back pain, and yesterday started feeling anxiety, sadness/tearyness. I went back up to 15mg today and felt better but still somewhat sad and very sleepy. I have an appointment in a few days so I think I will bump back up to 17.5 tommorow or maybe even back to the 20mg until I see my doctor in a few days.

 

ETA: I also have taken 50mg Trazodone at night for years to help me sleep. I like this drug, although if my dr and I decide to try the Wellbutrin, I understand the two are not supposed to be combined due to the risk of seizures. Which presents another dillema =(

[Rhiannon]

Hi--

 

Please take a look at the topics in our Tapering section and the links in there, which talk about how to taper and what to expect. There is also a specific topic on tapering Lexapro which you should be able to find (you might have to page back a bit).

 

We are here to help people who wish to reduce or get off psych meds, or who are in dire straits due to trying to get off psych meds too fast, so we aren't going to be able to give you advice about what other meds to take, other than maybe what order to taper them in if that's your choice.

 

Please be prepared for your doctor to be ignorant about the necessity for slow tapering of ADs. You may be lucky and get one who has a clue, but they're rare.

 

I always recommend to anyone who is taking any kind of psych med or considering taking one, to read the book Anatomy of an Epidemic by Robert Whitaker.

 

Best of luck to you in whatever course you decide upon.

[Doberman]

I went to the Dr today and he mentioned switching me to the Wellbutrin, but said he wants to first try taking me off the Lexapro altogether to see if I can go without taking an antidepressant. He is going to keep me on the Trazodone to help me sleep. He says it is too soon to have become depressed again and that I am suffering from withdrawl. He is going to have me do 15mg for 2 weeks, 10 mg for 2 weeks, and is prescribing some 10mg pills that I can quarter because he wants me to reduce the dose 2.5 mg every two weeks once I hit 10mg.

 

He also said a few interesting things. He mentioned that all SSRI's have these side effects, and that even though the pharmacuetical companies claim the new ones have less side effects, it's just marketing hype. He also said that he has not had any success combining Wellbutrin with an SSRI to combat sexual dysfunction.

[Petunia]

Please be prepared for your doctor to be ignorant about the necessity for slow tapering of ADs. You may be lucky and get one who has a clue, but they're rare.

 

It seems like your doctor is good at recognizing withdrawal and encouraging you to try life without drugs, but as Rhi warned, he doesn't have a clue about the need for slow tapering.  Lexapro is a strong antidepressant and you have been on a high dose for a long time.

 

He is going to have me do 15mg for 2 weeks, 10 mg for 2 weeks, and is prescribing some 10mg pills that I can quarter because he wants me to reduce the dose 2.5 mg every two weeks once I hit 10mg.

This is too fast, please read why here:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1024-why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage/

 

Here is our guide for safely tapering off Lexapro:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/406-tips-for-tapering-off-lexapro-escitalopram/

 

I tapered off Lexapro over 2 months, after being on it for 7 years. (much too fast)   Withdrawal hit me about 2 months later and I've been struggling with protracted withdrawal ever since.  That was over 2 years ago.  Please consider using our risk reduction method to taper.  Let us know what you decide.

 

Petu.

 

[Altostrata]

Welcome, Doberman.

 

Trazodone is also an antidepressant. There may be no need for you to take Wellbutrin if you're taking trazodone.

 

(Please look at our topic on trazodone as well in the Tapering section.)

 

But first, you need to taper off Lexapro. With your long history, you should be prepared for a very long, gradual taper, probably at least a year.

[Doberman]

Thanks for helpful advice and links. There seems to be quite a variation in the recommendations for the speed of the taper. I looked at the links and am reading "The Antidepressant Solution: A Step-by-Step Guide to Safely Overcoming Antidepressant Withdrawal, Dependence, and "Addiction"". The book advocates a flexible approach; some patients in the book came off in 6 weeks, others in 6 months. The base recommendation for Lexapro is a 50% reduction in dose every 3 to 5 weeks (too fast for me), but it is by no means set in stone, and there are charts to keep track of the symptoms to decide whether to slow down the tapering. The author basically recommends raising the dose back up for moderate and severe symptoms, and if withdraw effects are nonexistent or mild, to wait 2 weeks after withdraw symptoms subside to further reduce the dose.

 

I have been on 15mg for 5 days and feel better. The schedule my doctor and I agreed on would have me off the drug in about 3 months. I'm going to take a "wait and see" approach, and will extend the taper if I feel I need to. There seems to be no clear answer as to how fast to do this because people react so differently.

 

Regarding the Trazodone, my doctor believes it to be ineffective as an antidepressant, and based on my experience with it, I agree, as it is great at helping me sleep but I don't feel that it affected my depression.

[Altostrata]

Please read this first: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1024-why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage/

[Doberman]

Please read this first: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1024-why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage/

 

Thanks Altostrata, I will read it.

[Doberman]

Want to hear something funny? I have mixed up my trazodone and lexapro for the last week. I dumped what I thought was the lexapro in the pill splitter. So it turns out that for the last week I have been taking 20mg lexapro at night and 3/4 of a trazodone in the morning. Gee I wonder why I can't sleep at night and am tired during the day. I thought it was withdrawal effects. Guess I have to start my taper over. Lol

[Doberman]

Today was day 5 on 15mg. Feeling good and not noticing any side effects.

[mammaP]

Glad you are feeling better Doberman.  

[Doberman]

Thank you MammaP

[Doberman]

I am still feeling fine on the 15mg. I've decided instead of dropping down to 10mg to drop to 12.5 mg as the next step and see how that goes.

[Altostrata]

Please go slowly and consider 10% decreases, based on the LAST dosage (decreases get smaller), no less than 2 weeks apart. It was less than a month ago you were feeling bad effects from withdrawal. Your nervous system is not made of rubber.

[Doberman]

I've been on 12.5mg for a week and all is well =)

[mammaP]

It's great you are still feeling well, hope it continues for you. 

Please listen to Alto and don't rush it, the smaller doses are the ones that cause the most problems!

 

3 KIS's.... Keep it slow, keep it simple, keep it stable. 

[Petunia]

I'm glad you are feeling better doberman.  As others have mentioned, its safer to go slowly, especially as the dose gets smaller.

 

This article shows why its important to taper slowly at low doses, the charts begin at page 4.

 

http://survivinganti...-concentration/

 

Please put your drug and withdrawal history in your signature.  Putting a short version of your drug and tapering history in your signature helps people understand your context, it appears below each of your posts.  Here are instructions for how to do it:

 

http://survivinganti...your-signature/

 

Do stay in touch and let us know how you are doing.

[Doberman]

Thanks Petu I finally figured out how to update the signature.

 

Today is my 12th day on 10mg and everything seems to be fine. The plan my doctor and I worked out has me dropping 2.5 mg every two weeks. I'm really excited about being able to drop the dose again in a few days. From my history I know I can raise the dose again if I have any problems and that will resolve it. I know pretty much everyone here advocates going slower. You all might end up being right, although I have also heard from many people that are sucessful tapering faster, and right now things seem to be going well and I am excited about getting this behind me soon.

[Rhiannon]

You may be okay for the first couple of drops, but it's not linear, so at lower doses you can't keep dropping the same amount. From 10 to 7.5 and from 7.5 to 5.0 is a curve, but the lower you go the more it comes to resemble a cliff. Please see the paper in the Tapering section, and look at those charts on page 4, and show them to your doctor. For anyone, even someone coming off fairly fast, it's important to take the last part of the taper more slowly and carefully.

 

We really, really don't like saying "we told you so." it is SO not fun to see that happen to people. I definitely think you're headed for trouble and I hate to see it happen, always hate to lose one.

[Rhiannon]

I wasn't going to post again in your topic because I try not to waste my time when so many people need it, but then it occurred to me that other people might read it, and they might be thinking the same way you are. So let me say this.

 

These people who have done well "tapering faster":

 

How long had they been on psych meds before tapering? (years? months?...Decades?)

How many times had they changed meds and/or dosages in the past?

Had they ever come off meds before in the past?

 

and

 

Once they came off, were they able to stay off, or did they have a "relapse" three to twelve months out and end up back on the drugs?

 

Get those answers, and include them in your decision making.

 

(We didn't just pull our recommendations out of a certain dark place. We've worked with hundreds of people with all different kinds of backgrounds and histories.)

[Altostrata]

Doberman, there's no point in arguing with us about your proper rate of tapering. You need to negotiate that with your own nervous system.

 

Your doctor may give you permission to taper faster, but your doctor is not going to be absorbing the withdrawal symptoms if it happens to go that way for you.

 

Please do NOT push your nervous system any faster than it wants to go. Do NOT count on being able to updose and fix things. Sometimes this does not work.

 

We are telling you to be careful because once Humpty Dumpty falls off the wall, all bets are off. Slow and steady is the safest way to go.

[Doberman]

I've been completely off lexapro for two weeks now. The last 2 tapers down to 2.5 were pretty uneventful. I got a few mild headaches the first few days after reducing the dose, but then they went away.

 

I have had more side effects since coming off completely. It hasn't been horrible, just annoying. The first week I got the same headaches I did when tapering, but they hurt worse and lasted a few days longer. The main effect I'm noticing now is that I am more impatient than usual and occasionally get irritable. On the bright side, my sexual functioning has improved.

[bubble]

keep us posted. I was fine for 40 days before I fell apart. The first sign was just irritability...

[Doberman]

Did you end up going back on the antidepressant bubble?

[Petunia]

Hi Doberman,

Please would you update your signature with the last part of your taper.

 

I hope your symptoms improve quickly and go away, but from what I've seen here and my own experience, it could get a lot worse before it gets better.  I tapered too fast from Lexapro, I actually went down to 1.25 and jumped from there, I thought I was doing ok for 2 - 3 months, but then withdrawal symptoms started to get much worse.  At the time, I didn't know that's what it was because I thought I had recovered from the withdrawal.

 

I did start taking Lexapro again, for a few weeks, but then stopped it again, I can't remember why.  About that time I had got diagnosed with ADHD and started the drugs for that too. But my symptoms just kept getting worse. So I started taking xanax and propranolol and st johns wort and my stimulant meds all in an attempt to manage what I now know was withdrawal symptoms from Lexapro.  My moods and emotions were all over the place and I started getting very sensitive to sounds.

 

Like you, I had been on antidepressants for many years and didn't realize I needed to do a very slow taper over several years rather than several months.  I'm now in protracted withdrawal and have been since the end of 2011 when I crashed, as Alto wrote:

 

We are telling you to be careful because once Humpty Dumpty falls off the wall, all bets are off. Slow and steady is the safest way to go.

 

I wish someone had told me this at the time.

 

If you look at Bubble's signature you can see that she:

 

reinstated to 5 mg Escitalopram 4Oct and holding, significant relief after 2 weeks

 

... that was 2013, not this year.

 

Do stay in touch and let us know how you are doing and if you decide to reinstate, the sooner you do it, the better chance you have of it working.

 

Petu.

[bubble]

Did you end up going back on the antidepressant bubble?

 

Yes, as Petu said, I reinstated a year ago. Now I'm slowly tapering Xanax to a certain dose before I start a very slow taper off of Lexapro. After stopping Lexapro (and Xanax) I didn't have problems for a few weeks (except the before mentioned irritability). My nose got badly congested in the middle of summer and my GP had no idea what was going on. As the time passed my mental state was getting worse and worse. Contrary to what I expected. I started feeling as if I was out of my body and everything looked unreal. It was awfully scary. Later on I learnt it is called depersonalisation/derealisation. I had never experienced this in my life before. One night I had something that convinced me I was losing my mind. It was actually racing thoughts. Another horrible experience. 

 

At that point I would've taken anything to stop what was happening to me so I didn't need persuading to reinstate although I desperately wanted to stay off the drugs to be able to get pregnant. After reinstatemnt my brain was functioning with extreme difficulty for 4 months. I was walking around like zombie with occassional flashes of normalacy. It took me from 8 to 10 months to feel as I felt before discontinuing. 

 

I'm glad you came to this site before than I did so that you understand what is happening to you. Of course, it doesn't mean that you will have the same experience. It's just what happened to me.